06 NOVEMBER 2014, KATHMANDU – Political parties are being away from reaching the so called consensus to draft a new constitution in Nepal, Coalition parties of current government says they have kept all the doors open for other parties to discuss and reach on agenda of drafting new constitution in an appropriate time as scheduled for January 22, 2015.
Nepali congress and CPN (UML) has expressed their views on their ideal federism and state division but doors are open to discuss and finalize the disputed agenda while other fringe parties including major communist party UCPN (Maoist) is rallying around the cities and villages against the proposed 7 state federalism by the two major parties.
As per the news sources, In a fresh bid to win over the opposition, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML have said that they would not bypass the UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties in the constitution drafting process.
In an informal meeting of the parties on Wednesday, ruling party leaders assured to leave the door open for consensus even if their joint proposal on contentious issues of new constitution is presented in the Constituent Assembly (CA).
After the deadlock in the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (PDCC), the parties have started informal talks to find a meeting point.
The ruling party leaders said that the proposal had been prepared as per the agreement that all positions of parties would be forwarded to the CA if the parties could not reach consensus by mid-October.
According to CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal, the ruling parties tried to convince the Maoist party on taking along the CA process and consensus efforts simultaneously. As there are still three months until the January 22 deadline, the opposition parties should not get agitated, he said, asking them to refrain from giving provocative statements.
The ruling parties tabled a common proposal of seven federal states at the PDCC on Monday, asking the cross-party panel to forward it to the CA. But the opposition parties oppose the idea, saying that the ruling parties are preparing to draft a new constitution through voting process bypassing them. The dispute has led to the postponement of PDCC meeting indefinitely. Top leaders of the three major parties will meet again on Thursday in the presence of CA Chairman to strike a compromise.
During the meeting on Wednesday, opposition parties questioned the ruling parties’ intention. “The NC and UML are trying to bypass the opposition parties and we have put our concerns in the meeting,” UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told reporters after the meeting. He informed that top leaders of the major parties would be meeting to explore a point of compromise.
The ongoing dispute has piled pressure on PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai.
The ruling parties have warned to unseat him as PDCC chairman if he does not call the meeting immediately to start the process. Dahal on the other hand, leaders say, is asking him to put off the PDCC meeting until a consensus is forged. He has even suggested Bhattarai to resign if the ruling parties continue to exert pressure on him.
Bhattarai has not given up hope on reaching consensus as yet. “While consensus on all issues is not possible, all leaders are committed to promulgate new constitution through consensus,” he said.
Some of the ruling party leaders have asked the party leadership to take the UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties into confidence for the statute writing process. “The ruling party’s joint proposal is against the spirit of 12-pt understanding and Compre-hensive Peace Agreement,” said NC lawmaker Amresh Kumar Singh, conceding that top leaders of the NC and UML had agreed to give another shot at consensus due to unrelenting pressure.
Let’s find solution through talks: PM
CHITWAN: Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has offered to resolve disputes through negotiations for timely promulgation of new constitution.
“I have asked Dahal to refrain from using language of intimidation. I am always open to hold talks with him to solve the problems,” said Koirala at a programme in the district on Wednesday. Koirala’s comment follows UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal’s threat to topple the goverment over the common proposal of the NC and CPN-UML on the contentious issues.
He also refuted claims that the ruling parties had betrayed the Maoists in the name of consensus as baseless.
‘NC, UML proposal against peace pact’
BIRTAMOD: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said his party could not accept the seven-province proposal on federalism jointly tabled by the NC and CPN-UML as it was presented in a bid to breach comprehensive peace agreement and “reverse the political course”.
“The common proposal on state restructuring was brought against the spirit of the peace agreement. It will not yield any good result,” Dahal told reporters in Birtamod on Wednesday. He said the NC and UML should own up to any dire consequences caused by their unilateral decision in the name of majority.
Source: KOL
